Filtration is an essential unit operation in the production of many chemical and biological molecules, such as pharmaceuticals. The efficiency of filtration affects the amount of product recovered and can impede the scale-up of many reactor systems, such as perfusion bioreactors.
In Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) systems, the fluid to be filtered is caused to flow under pressure in a direction generally normal to the filter surface area to force a portion of the flowing fluid through the filter. Rather than clogging the filter, retained particles that do not pass through the filter are carried along by the tangential flow. Although such devices do not generally have a clogging problem, the tangential flow filtration devices require large amounts of area, high flow rates, and high pressures, which may damage a desired component of the fluid. Even in TFF systems, the filtration system must be thoroughly cleaned between uses, a time-consuming and expensive operation to prevent system contamination.
Accordingly, there is need for a large volume disposable ultrafiltration systems, and methods of performing filtration, that reduce cleaning time and allow a flexible system volume.